Flower pot hanger



July 6, 1965 A. THURMAN ETAL FLOWER POT HANGER Filed Sept. 4, 1965 I 4 0 10am 1 United States Patent Office 3,l%,234 Patented July 6, 1965 3,193,234 FLOWER PGT HANGER Austin Thurman, 22468 Happyland Ave, Hayward, Calif., and Demoody Blair, Oakland, Calif.; said Blair assignor to said Thurman Filed Sept. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 396,535 3 Elaims. (Cl. 248-313) The invention relates to a hanger device by means of which a flower pot or the like may be supported and suspended from a wall, shelf, or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a flower pot hanger which can readily be applied to the pot and the latter firmly secured to the hanger, or released from therefrom when desired, without requiring detachment of any of the parts of the hanger from the wall, shelf, or other object to which the hanger may have been fastened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger of the character described'comprising a bracket member and slide member which cooperate to positively secure the pot to the hanger Without placing any strain on the portion of the pot engaged by such members.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the hanger.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional View of the hanger showing it with a flower pot supported and secured therein.

In the embodiment of our invention illustrated in the drawing the hanger is formed of two members, that is, a strap or bracket member 3 and a slide member 4, each of such members being formed as metal stampings. These members however may be formed of plastic or other suitable material.

The bracket member is vertically elongated and in cludes a body portion 6, a lower portion 7 which is arranged to engage the pot, and an upper portion 8 having a hole 9 therein through which may be passed a suitable fastener for attaching the hanger to a wall or other object as the case may be. The body 6 is formed flat with parallel side edges 12 and has mounted thereon the slide member 4-, the latter having arms 13 which are folded around the bracket body and secure the slide thereto for longitudinal movement on the body. The lower portion 7 is widened and includes transverse extensions 16, such portion being arcuate in transverse section so as to generally conform to the portion of the flower pot against which it is to be held. The conventional flower pot, a portion of which is illustrated in FIGURE 2 and designated by the letter A, is formed with an outwardly enlarged or flanged rim 1'7, and it is against the outer surface 18 of this rim portion that the widened portion 7 is arranged to abut or oppose.

Means are provided adjacent the bottom of the widened portion 7 for engaging with or under the shoulder 19 of the flange of rim 17, such means as here shown being in the form of lugs or projections 21. The lugs 21 are spaced circumferentially of and provided as extensions of portion 7, and are disposed on the same side of the bracket member as the concave side of said portion.

Means are provided on the slide member for engaging certain portions of the pot so as to cooperate with the portion 7 and lugs 21 of the bracket member to grip and secure the pot to the hanger. Extending from the part of the slide member having the arms 13 but projecting therefrom in the opposite direction so as to overlie the lugs 21 in a projection 22. The latter, as will be clear from FIGURE 2, is positioned so as to rest upon the top of the rim 17 when the slide has been moved as illustrated to a depressed position. Also formed on the slide member and preferably as .a depending extension of the projection 22 is a resilient tongue 23 which is arranged to extend down into the pot and engage the inner side of the Wall of the pot when the slide is depressed as shown. The tongue 23 is elongated so that it will extend down into the pot below the lugs 21 when the projection 22 rests upon the rim 17. Desirably the tongue is formed in such manner as to be slightly spaced from the inner wall surface of the pot except at or adjacent the lower extremity of the tongue. In this way the tongue which is designed to resiliently engage the wall, will have contact with the wall at a place spaced between and below the point of contact of the lugs with the pot. Thus the wall will be firmly engaged by the members over a comparatively wide-spread area. A tab 24 is provided on member 4 which may be gripped by the fingers to raise or lower the slide on the member 3.

So that the slide member may be freely moved when desired, even though the hanger is anchored flush against a wall, and alsoto avoid the possibility of marring the surface of the wall in case of such movement, the upper and lower portions of the bracket member are offset on the side thereof on which the arms 13 of the slide member are disposed, the offset being sufiicient to provide for clearance of the arms. The offset at the top is simply provided by bending the bracket member so that the portion 8 will lie in a plane parallel to but offset from'the plane of the body portion 6. The offset at the bottom of the bracket is had by forming a reverse bend 26 in each of the lugs 21 adjacent its juncture with the arcuate portion 7, the bends of course lying at the convex side of the latter. As will be noted the offset of portion 8 also serves to prevent the slide member from becoming detached from the bracket at the top, while portion 7 prevents removal of the slide from the bottom.

To mount the hanger, it is preferable to first fasten the. bracket member to the object, such as indicated at B, from which the flower pot is to be suspended, this being done by driving a nail or screw 27 through the hole in portion 8 into the object. By thus fastening the hanger in position before the flower pot is mounted in the hanger, there will be no danger, during the course of fastening the hanger, of damaging any delicate plant that may be in the pot at the time. The slide member is then momentarily held in a raised position and the rim of the pot placed against portion 7 of the bracket with lugs 21 inserted up under the shoulder 19. Thereupon the slide member is lowered until the projection 22 rests upon the top of the rim, the tongue 23 in the meantime having entered the interior of the pot along the innerside of the adjacent wall portion of the pot. If it is necessary to force the slide downward into the position aforesaid, this may be readily done by pressing downward on the tab 24. With the parts thus positioned the tongue will be firmly engaged with the pot and hold the flanged rim firmly gripped between the tongue and portion 7. At the same time the tongue will also cause the portion of slide embracing the bracket body to bind against the latter and virtually lock the parts together. portant to note that the tongue is recited as being disposed opposite the transverse space between the bracket projec-' tions when the slide member is in its lowest position on the strip. In addition, the tongue is sufliciently long that .the lower edge thereof is appreciably below the It is particularly imbracket projections when the slide member is in this lowest position. As a result, the' strip projections and tongue grip the flower pot at three points distributed over a comparatively wide-spread'area. The pot is thus positively secured without undue strain being placed on the portion of the pot gripped between the tongue and projections. There is thus no danger of the pot breaking in being secured by the hanger. Should it then become desirable to release the pot from the hanger, it is only'necessary to firmly press down on the outer edge of the tab so as to loosen the hold of the slide on the bracket body and then lift the slide at the arms 13 until the tongue is removed from the pot.

It may be mentioned that a number of diiferent sizes of pots may be utilized with the same hanger. This is so because with the design, construction, and arrangement of the parts, the pot will be firmly held in position by the cooperating members even though tight or actual intere'ngagement'of some of the parts with the pot is not bad. a 4

What is claimed is:

-1. A hanger fora flower pot having an outwardly flanged rim comprising a generally flat strip of sheet metal or the like arranged for vertical positioning on a wall of the pot, said strip having an elongated body and an ofiset upper portion provided with a hole for receiving a fastening means and a lower portion formed with transverse extensions in the general plane of the body, said extensions being providedadjacent the bottom thereof with transversely spaced lateral projections designed to engage under said flanged rim'when the hanger is applied to the pot, said projections being provided at their inner ends with offsets extending reversely in the same direction and --substantially'to the same extent as said upper portion of the strip; a slide member of sheet metal mounted on said strip for movement longitudinally thereon to and between said upper and lower portions of the strap and havinga portion bent around and embracing said body and serving to guide the slide member in itsmovernent thereon, said slide member havinga tab extending angularly from the upper part thereof to serve as a handle for gripping the member, said slidable member also h'av- V the flanged rim there'oetween, said tongue being of a length such that when the slide member is in its lowest position on the strip the lower edge of the tongue will be appreciably below the projections of said strip, said tongue being disposed opposite the transverse space between said projections of saidstrip when the slide member is in its lowest position on the strip.

2. A hanger for a fiower pot having an outwardly flanged rim comprising a bracket in the form of a gen-' the rim of the pot, and a depending resilient tongue on the member positioned thereon on the'same side'as the rim projection and having a side facing and spaced from the opposing side of the bracket for reception and engagernent of the flanged rim therebetween, said tongue being disposed opposite thespace between the projections of said bracket when the slide member is in its lowest position and having a length such'that the 'lower edge of the tongue is appreciably below said projections of said bracket when said slide member is in said lowest position. Q r

. 3. A hanger in accordance with claim 2 in which upper projection of the bracket'is offset in the opposite direction of the projections'at the bottom thereof and in which the lower projections comprise a portion offset in the same direction as said upper projection anda portion extending downward from and under said first portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED sr T s PATENTS 1 1,170,414 2/16 Christensen a 248-313 2,504,583- 4/50 Rachic n 248 l3 2,554,120. 5/51 'Pisano 248-238 3,001,753 9/"61' Smith 24s 313 3,013,759 12/61 Close 24s- 221 3,091,424 5/63 Yegge 24s 313 FOREIGN PATENTS 237,952 9/11, Germany.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HANGER FOR A FLOWER POT HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FLANGED RIM COMPRISING A GENERALLY FLAT STRIP OF SHEET METAL OR THE LIKE ARRANGED FOR VERTICAL POSITIONING ON A WALL OF THE POT, SAID STRIP HAVING AN ELONGATED BODY AND AN OFFSET UPPER PORTION PROVIDED WITH A HOLE FOR RECEIVING A FASTENING MEANS AND A LOWER PORTION FORMED WITH TRANSVERSE EXTENSIONS IN THE GENERAL PLANE OF THE BODY, SAID EXTENSIONS BEING PROVIDED ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF WITH TRANSVERSELY SPACED LATERAL PROJECTIONS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE UNDER SAID FLANGED RIM WHEN THE HENGER IS APPLIED TO THE POT, SAID PROJECTIONS BEING PROVIDED AT THEIR INNER ENDS WITH OFFSETS EXTENDING REVERSELY IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY TO THER SAME EXTENT AS SAID UPPER PORTION OF THE STRIP, A SLIDE MEMBER OF SHEET METAL MOUNTED ON SAID STRIP FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY THEREON TO AND BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF THE STRAP AND HAVING A PORTION BENT AROUND AND EMBRACING SAID BODY AND SERVING TO GUIDE THE SLIDE MEMBER IN ITS MOVEMENT THEREON, SAID SLIDE MEMBER HAVING A TAB EXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM THE UPPER PART THEREOF TO SERVE AS A HANDLE FOR GRIPPING THE MEMBER, SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER ALSO HAVING AN ANGULAR PORTION EXTENDING IN THE SAME GENERAL DIRECTION AS SAID PROJECTIONS SO AS TO ENGAGE THE RIM OF THE POT WHEN THE PROJECTIONS ENGAGE UNDER THE FLANGE, AND SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER HAVING A RESILIENT TONGUE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE OUTER END OF SAID ANGULAR PORTION OF SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER AND HAVING A SIDE THEREOF FACING AND SPACED FROM THE OPPOSING SIDE OF THE STRIP TO RECEIVE THE FLANGED RIM THEREBETWEEN, SAID TONGUE BEING OF A LENGTH SUCH THAT WHEN THE SLIDE MEMBER IS IN ITS LOWEST POSITION ON THE STRIP THE LOWER EDGE OF THE TONGUE WILL BE APPRECIABLY BELOW THE PROJECTIONS OF SAID STRIP, SAID TONGUE BEING DISPOSED OPPOSITE THE TRANSVERSE SPACE BETWEEN SAID PROJECTIONS OF SAID STRIP WHEN THE SLIDE MEMBER IS IN ITS LOWEST POSITION ON THE STRIP. 